This teacher has her students write their name on back of a sticky note and place it on the chart each Monday. She then talks privately throughout the week with each child about where they placed the sticky note and if they need to talk…

Source: Facebook: Suicide Awareness/Prevention

This letter moved me to tears. Not only are the recipients (Rabbí Chaim Grossbaum and his family) truly special people who epitomize the concept of selfless giving, but there is a lesson in this letter for us all. We often go through life not knowing if what we think, say or do makes any difference. Sometimes we feel that we have tried so hard or given so much and it went unnoticed. But when we do the right thing BECAUSE it is the right thing, it always impacts. Sometimes we see it, sometimes we don’t. But we have affected lives in ways we will never even know. A sincere smile or hello could have given someone the strength they needed to get through that day. There are people in this world who are unbelievably grateful to YOU for something you may not even remember that you did. So keep being kind, helpful, supportive and giving. It is needed. And it is noticed. And this letter is that proof and reminder that 25 years later, people will never forget your impact.

Few stories are as inspiring as Brianna Hill, an Illinois woman who gave birth during the bar examination. The bar is the exam which a lawyer must pass prior to admission to the bar of their jurisdiction. Due to Covid-19 and the exam being postponed to October, Hill had to take the exam at 38-weeks pregnant, which was way further along than she had initially expected. In the middle of the exam, Hill’s water broke- and instead of panicking, she powered through the remainder of the exam.

After delivering the baby, Hill still had been laser focused on finishing the rest of the bar exam. After consulting with her husband, midwife, and doctors – the hospital provided Hill an empty room for her to finish the exam.

We all make mistakes. We all do or say the wrong thing sometimes. But what we do after that defines the kind of person that we are. It is hard to admit our faults and apologize for our wrong doings. But doing the right thing after having done the wrong thing makes that wrong thing actually an impetus for growth. Teegs Scotney had a tough day. Actually, more a tough number of days and even weeks. So when another woman accidentally pulled into the parking spot she was waiting for, she lost her cool. After screaming at this other driver, she found another spot and realized how wrong she had been. She could have just driven home, but she didn’t. Instead she wrote an apology note and left it with a $5. And that driver responded and left her a note as well. Read both below!

Image Source: The Kindness Pandemic/ Facebook

Judaism teaches us that every life is an entire world for all of the generations that preceded it, and all the generations that will come from it. At roughly 105 years old, this great-great-grandmother has created endless worlds.

From one of her many grandsons, Didy Waks:

“My grandmother of approx 105 years meeting her newest grand-grandchild, who is also her 315th descendant. Born in Yemen, my grandmother arrived in Israel in 1949 with the shirt on her back. Like hundreds of thousands of other Jews in Middle Eastern and North African countries, she fled to Israel for safety. Almost 75 years later, hundreds of descendants, spread across the globe, my grandmother is just one miracle in the long chain of miracles called Jewish history.”

It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives and situations. But Judaism teaches us that no matter what we are dealing with, we need to always think of others. This is why under the chuppah, the marriage canopy, a glass is broken. The broken glass is the reminder that even when we are celebrating our most joyous moment, there is still pain and suffering and brokenness in the world. Hailey Damrow’s mother exemplifies this concept and the ability to have empathy and help even en route to her own daughter’s wedding.

“My mom was the first on the scene of an accident on the way to my wedding. After 35+ years of being an ER nurse, she sprang into action and helped save her life. Someone who saw it all happen said, “She was directing the officers, EMS workers, and everyone else lending a hand…AS she was holding the woman’s airway open while he held the phone for her to talk to aircare.” People in our community were talking about the woman in the pretty dress who was wearing gloves at the scene of the accident. She said she was just really careful not to get blood on her dress as she knew she had to walk me down the aisle later. I am so proud to call her my mom!”

Source: Hailey Damrow / Some Good News / Facebook

Parenting is hard. And it is easy to get frustrated and react without always thinking through the consequences. When we scream at a young child, we may get a momentary sense of release or relief. But the damage it can do will far outlive the anger or annoyance we would feel. This Facebook post about a father and son is a beautiful example of the balance between unconditional love and support, while acknowledging what was done wrong and helping the child learn how to avoid this situation in the future. The Talmud teaches that a parent should pull close with the right hand and push away with the left. Just being forgiving and kind is as problematic as just being strict and harsh, as the first leaves the child with no sense of responsibility or consequence whereas the latter leaves the child insecure and fearful. This father being described truly accomplishes this directive of both pulling and pushing in the most caring way possible.

(Credit: Facebook page of Kalynne Marie)